• Help Support The Rugby Forum :

IPL schedule rejected

A

An Tarbh

Guest
Originally posted by BBC Sport
Revised IPL fixture list rejected

Security is high on the agenda after the recent terrorist attacks in Lahore

The playing schedule for this year's Indian Premier League remains in doubt after a second revised fixture list was rejected by home ministry officials.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India was unable to confirm when any definite dates might be announced.

The IPL is set to be held from 10 April to 24 May and national elections take place between 16 April and 13 May.

The home ministry claims it does not have enough security resources to deal with both major events.

"The home ministry have expressed their concerns which they explained in detail," said BCCI secretary N Srinivasan.

"We have also explained our difficulties and expressed our own concerns and the importance of the tournament to all the various stakeholders."

Security is high on the agenda after the attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore, in neighbouring Pakistan earlier this month.

The Lahore attacks have forced IPL organisers to undertake a detailed reassessment of the security arrangements and they have promised to take charge of all player security arrangements for the six-week event.

Indian authorities have asked IPL organisers to accommodate the concerns of various state governments by reorganising matches in the second edition of the competition.

Last week chief-executive officer for the IPL, Sindar Rahman, calmed fears the competition could be cancelled because of the security issues.

"The home ministry has said that the IPL is on but minor changes are required to the schedule," said Rahman.

Seven England-based cricketers, including Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood, are contracted to play in the IPL but are waiting for safety assessments before agreeing to go.

They will only be able to play in the first three weeks of the competition because they will have to return for the start of England's home series against West Indies.

Looking like this might not even go ahead at all, this is a problem that should have been seen long before now and even before the attacks in Lahore, especially when you consider what happened in Chennai while England were touring India.
 

Latest posts

Top